Automatic starter



Dec. 25, 1934. c N BOYD AUTOMATIC STARTER Filed Sept) 23, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1" Car/ N6oy% 5y m A rroazwzx Dec. 25, 1934.

c. N. BOYD AUTOMATIC STARTER Filed Sept. 23, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNEK Patented Dec 25, 1934 TE Iii" lltfifitii AU'llDMA'lilil .t TEE,

(Carl N. Royal, LBS Angeles @o, Application September 23, 1932, Serial No, tift iflit 3 Cir (lDlu 290-36) UNITED STAT My invention relates to means for automati- It is an object of the invention to provide a oally Operating starting devices for internal Oomstarting device which for its control has a conhustion engines, and is of especial utility with the trolling element operated toy partial vacuum exstarting motors for automobile engines. My listing within the intake manifold of the engine o present invention is an improvement on the and a cooperating controlling element which 5 known type of starter controlling device which functions in response to the change of electrical utilizes the variations of the electrical characcharacteristics of the generator driven by the teristics of the generator connected to the engine, elit m b e e g ancl has for its principal object to provide on it is an object of the invention to provide a ole no automatic starting control which will be positive vic oi the ab v hara t wh h wi close h in its operation and will avoid. many oi the electrical circuit to the starting motor coincident weaknesses inherent in starting devices now emwith the closi e o t e ignition switch one will ployed; and which is of such character that it hold such circuit closed until the operation or" the may he employed with any of the known. power n ine produces a predetered condition of 315 plant installations of automotive vehicles withpa tial vacuum withi the nta e ma i old, s out the necessity of careful and expert, adjusts which time the circuit to the starting motor is men's, but which in most instances may be mheld open until the voltage of the generator drops stalled in the automotive vehicle and will operate t schston o vu t is c dition requi m a iully practical condition without adjustment inc het t e cosine shall be stoop d hetero the after being installed. starter control again automatically actuate 2c in the extensively used electrical starting con= 6105'? Stories Hwlm Girl-illittrols the rise and fall of the voltage oi the gener t is object my inv nti n t or viol e etor is employed to control the operation of th tlevioe oi character above described having to electromagnetic starter switch winch controls trolling switch which may he openecl by either e fl w of current from the storage battery of partial vacuum eluceol in the intake man fold e litomohile to the starting ot it being or by the rise in the voltage of the generator to nd d that when the ignition Switch 1; the a predetermined value, tooth of which switch oblle is turned on, th startg swjtgh W111 o ening means are operation during normal b9 u matically closed so as t operate t t operation oi the int nal combustion engine. so or, that the rise of the generator voltage to a immer (35 me inventmn is m Vida predetermined value will cause the starter switch device the wave character which is m: 5 male to open aiter operation or the engine ha b and sturdy construction so as to retain it -ntial acwmplished by use of the St rting motor, and etliustrnent utter it is installed and which under that the Voltage of the generator 3 m such roost conditions oi installation requires no act he ter switch open ti t mgtw is 59mg iustxnent being connected to the power plant ,5,

reason stopped, t is fou d howsver We Q of e automotive vehicle.

' b nurther'olojects enol advantages of the interi dev ces that when the automooil I e Gilgll'lfi 1S OE- M 'qfl o M F J. 1 A, 1; #1, ing operated at low speed, there will he an inter= 3 91;? 35??? gggsggg hm WLQW mittent cutting-1n oi the starting switch while a A. Ji o M o e t i" v th en scorer-ring to the drawings, which are ioi loco: o

s c game is in operation, a cfllldltlmfl not ole" VG m nosrng o o v 1 snecl and one which is iahle to result in create fame le; s o simple and wo f erred you w u w v vs ow vf P teeth we Starter Amulet "embodiment of invention with the cover plate iault oi the electrically controlled st'e ting oleof removco Q5 "vices now in common is th t they are renrlerecl 2 a cross sec inoperative by the ta" r or n by which e genere'toa is an object of my inve starting" device which has two ac line means which produce the a correctly per feet operation found. in the use oi 1y new device and which will he evident treats the fol lowing description,

tomohiie no til e cad operating with Fig. 4 to show an alternative method of employing the device.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, for the support of the mechanism of my device I prefer to employ a casing or box 11 of insulating material, such as bakelite, this casing having a rear or back wall 12, upper and lower outstanding walls 13 and 14, and outstanding side walls 15and 16, there being lugs 17 with bolt or screw openings 18, as shown in Fig. 1, for use in securing the device in operative position. At one side of the upper Wall 13, such as the left side thereof, I mount a solenoid 20 forming part of a starter motor switch 21 including stationary contacts 22 and 23 and a movable contact 24 consisting of a metal disc mounted on the lower reduced end 25 of an armature 26 which projects upwardly into the opening 27 provided by a brass tube 28 on which the solenoid is mounted. The brass tube 28 is secured to a short cylindrical portion 30 which extends downwardly from a metal base 31 secured by means of a screw 32 to the lower face of the wall 13. The contact 22 is of L-shaped form and is secured. to the side wall 15 of the casing 11 by means of a heavy screw 33, the outer end 34 of which constitutes a starter circuit terminal and, as shown in Fig. 4,

is adapted to be connected to a starting motor 35 by means of a cable 36. The contact 23 consists of a fiat plate held against the upper end of a body or lug 37 of insulating material formed on the upper face of the lower wall 14 of the casing 11, a screw 38 passing downwardly through the contact 23 and the lug and having a lower projecting end 40 forming another starter circuit terminal which is adapted to be connected, as shown in Fig. 4, with the service terminal 41 of the automobile battery 42 by means of a cable or conductor 43. The movable contact or disc 24 is mounted on the stem 25 in a slidable and rockable manner and is insulatedfrom the solenoid 20 by use of insulating means 44. A spring 45 normally forces the contact member 24 upwardly toward a shoulder 46 formed at the upper end of the stem 25, the lower end of the spring 45 being retained by a small flange 47 at the lower end of the stem 25. When the solenoid 20 is energized, the armature 26 is pulled upwardly against the action of a spring 48, thereby bringing the movable contact member 24 into engagement with the stationary contacts 22 and 23, and closing the circuit to the starting motor which is grounded as indicated at 50 in Fig. 4, the current returning to the battery 42 through a grounded conductor 51.

Auxiliary to the solenoid 20 I provide a means for closing the switch 21, consisting of a button 52 which projects through an opening 53 in the lower wall 14 of the casing 11 in a position substantially aligned with thestem 25, so that by forcing upwardly on the button 52, the armature 26 may be raised to bring the contact 24 into engagement with the contacts 22 and 23.

For controlling the energization of the solenoid 20 I provide a switch means 54 including a rocking plate 55 which is fulcrumed at an intermediate point in a notch 56 formed in the outwardly extending flange 57 at the upper end of a plate 58 which is secured to the outer end of a core 60 forming part of a control magnet 61. The lower end of the plate 58 has a tongue 62 which is bent outwardly and then upwardly so as to overlie the lower end of the plate 55. To this tongue 62 a spring 63 is secured in such position that its upper end 64 will force inwardly against the upper end of the plate 55 and cause it to swing toward a position in which esaaoa a contact element 65 of silver will engage a contact element 66 mounted in the outer end of a stem 67 forming a part of a vacuum switch element 68.

The stem 67 is slidable in an opening 70 formed in a circular metal body or cover member 71 having a peripheral flange 72 whereby it may be secured by screws 73 to a. circular wall 74 which projects outwardly from the rear wall 12 of the casing 11 to provide a vacuum chamber 75. Washers 76 mounted on the inner end of the stem 67 provide a means for connecting the stem. 67 to a diaphragm 77, the periphery of which is clamped between the flange 72 of the member 71 and the wall 74 of the chamber 75. The stem 67 is normally urged outwardly toward the position in which it is shown in Fig. 2 by means of a spring 78 which surrounds the stem 6'7 and has its inner end in engagement with the cover 71 and its outer end in engagement with a collar or washer 80 secured to the outer end of the stem 67. Near the inner end of the stem 67 an indentation is formed by a peripheral groove 81 adapted to be engaged by a ball 82 resting in the lower end of an open ing 83 in the cover 71, this ball 82 being resiliently forced toward the stem 67 by means of a spring 84, the outer end of which may be engaged by a countersunk adjustment screw 85 mounted in the upper wall 13 of the casing 11. Communicating with the vacuum chamber 75 is an opening 86 which extends through the upper wall 13 and is fitted with a nipple 87 whereby it may be connected through a metal tube 88 with the intake manifold of the automobile engine. The condition of partial vacuum produced in the intake manifold of the automobile engine is transmitted through the tube 88 to the vacuum chamber 75, with the result that the diaphragm 77 is deflected inwardly as shown in Fig. 3, thereby carrying the contact 66 from engagement with the contact 65 carried by the plate 55.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, an ignition switch terminal 90 is mounted in the upper wall 13 and through a lead 91 is connected with the solenoid 20. The solenoid 20 has its lower end connected through a wire 92 with the cover member 71 and is therefore in electrical connection with the contact 66 carried at the outer end of the stem 67. A flexible wire or cable 93 connects the plate 55 with a ground terminal 94 mounted in the lower wall 14 of the casing 11. In the ordinary use of the invention this ground terminal 94 is connected through a jumper 95 with a ground terminal 96 which connects through a wire 97 with the magnet 61. In the side wall 16 of the casing 11, a generator terminal 98 is mounted in a position to connect through a wire 100 with the magnet 61.

The installation and operation of the invention are as follows: The starter motor circuit terminals 34 and 40 are connected to the starter motor 3.5 and the battery 42 by means of cables 36 and 43, as previously explained; the ignition terminal 90 is connected through a wire 101 with the dead contact 102 of an ignition switch 103; the generator terminal 98 is connected through a wire 104 with the output terminal 105 of a generator 106 which is driven by the automobile engine not shown; and the ground terminal 96 is grounded with the frame of the vehicle through a ground wire 107. In the wiring diagram, Fig.4, in accordance with standard prac-' (ill!) nesacoo at connected to the output terminal 105 or the gen erator 156 and through a wire 110 is connected to an ammeter 111. From the ammeter ill a conductor 112 is carried to the terminal 41 of the battery 42 or some conductor which is in elec trical connection with the terminal 11. llhe :g-

nition switch 103 is shown connected through a the ground 107. Accordingly, closing or" the ig-' nition switch 103 results in a flow of electric current from the battery 42 through the sole= noid 2o as well as to the ignition equipment 115, so that the energization of the solenoid 2o raises the armature 26 and closes the starting circuit switch 21 to operate the starting motor 35. The engine is thereby turned over and combustion is produced in the cylinders thereof, with the result of rotating the shaft at a speed higher than that at which it is rotated by the starter and at the same time producing in the intake manifold a condition of partial vacuum sumcient to overcome the detent action of the ball 82 in engage ment with the groove 81 and pull the diaphragm 7'? into the position in which it is shown in F a. 3, and breaking the circuit of the solenoid 20 by removing the contact 66 from engagement with the contact 65, this releasing the switch 21 and stopping the starting motor. The speed at wh oh the generator 106 is driven is proportionate to the speed of theengine, and as the speed of rotation of the engine increases, the generator volt 'age builds up, producing a flow of electrical energy through the conductor 1M and the magnet 51. As soon as the magnetic flux in the mage net 61 reaches a predetermined strength, the lower end of the plate is drawn inwardly against the end of the core to of the magnet 51, thereby swinging the contact outwardly from the position, as shown in Fig. 2, in which it may be engaged by the contact 65 to the position in which-it is shown in Fig. 5, wherein it cannot be engaged by the contact 56 even though the contact 66 should return to its engagement position as indicated by dotted lines 117, Fig. 5. The magnetic opening of the switch consisting of the contacts 65 and 66 may occursimultaneously with the action of the vacuum control device 58. in the ordinary practice or the invention, however, it does not occur until after the actuation oi the vacuum switch element 58 owing to the fact that the gap 118 below the lower end of the plate 55 and the outer end of the core to "requires a greater magnetic flux than is required to hold the plate 55 in engagement with the core 50 after they have become engaged. Likewise, the plate 55 will be magnetically held in the open position shown in Fig. 3 until the rotation of the generator stops, owing to the very small magnetic flux required to prevent this engagement of the lower end of the plate 55 with. the outer end of the core co. Therefore, the mad vertent or improper release of the vacuum actuated element 68 will not result in actuation of the starting motor for the reason that the contact 66 cannot engage the contact 65 until the magnetic release of the plate 55. in the ordinary operation or an automotive vehicle, the inadvertent release oi the magnetically actuated element does not occur; but should the vehicle be operation at a low speed, such as three to five miles per hour, and the throttle of the carburetor he suddenly opened, the condition of vacuum within the intake maniiold will suddenly drop to substantially zero, and a release of the vacuum actuated element 68 will occur. This, however, does not result in the closing of the starter switch 21, for the reason that the closing of the switch contacts 65 and 56 requires that the generator be brought to a dead stop.

A feature of my invention is that it will give a reasonably satisfactory operation through the use of the vacuum actuated controlling means 63, as, in the 0rd nary driving of an automobile, the above noted drop in the vacuum condition in the intake manifold to substantially zero is rarely produced. The invention also provides frictional means consisting of the ball 32 for retarding the switchclosing movement of the stem 67 so that there is a slight delay in the outward movement of the stem 5,? after the vacuum condition within the vacuum chamber 55 is released.

With the idea in mind of preventing access to the ignition circuit of an automobile, some of the late automobiles have the leads from the ignition switch extended through armored cables, and the terminals to which these are attached are concealed, thus making it dificult to connect my starting control in the manner previously described. For such exigencies my invention provides a means for connecting the device independently or the start'ng circuit, but in such a manner that it will be operated coincident with the closing of the ignition switch of the automobile. in such instances the jumper is switched over so that itconnects the terminal 94 with the terminal co, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, and the wire 101, instead of being connected to the terminal 1412 of the ignition switch, is connected, as indicated in Fig. 5 by dotted lines 121, with a ring 122 which is mounted around the ex-= posed end or the operating body or element 123 of an ignition switch such as shown at 119 and has a portion 124 thereof in a position to be engaged by the end 125 of the part 122 of the igni tion switch when, by use of a lrey 126, the member 128 is released and caused to move into the projecting position indicated by dotted lines 12?,

thereby grounding the terminal at through the metal parts of the ignition switch 119 so that current will flow from the battery 12 through the conductor 43 to the terminal 9% which, as previously described, is in circuit with the solenoid 2c, the circuit being completed by the conductor shown in dotted lines 121 which is grounded coincident with the closing operation of the automobile ignition switch. it will be understood that the operation of my invention in conjunction with the ignition switch is only a matter of convenience, for a separate switch may be employed, mounted on the instrument board of the automobile in position to be turned on and off as desired.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in simple and practical form, is recognized that certain parts or elements thereof are representative of other parts, elements, or mechanisms which may he used in substantially the same manner to accomplish substantially the same results; therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be ited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the following claims I claim as my invention:

1. An automatic starter control for use with a combustion motor having an electric generator and a starter associated therewith, including: a starter circuit for energizing said starter; a magnetic switch in said starter circuit; a control circuit connected to said magnetic switch; a control switch in said control circuit, said switch comprising a pair of contacts; an armature support ing the first of said contacts; magnetic means electrically connected to said generator for mov ing said armature to carry said first contact away from the second of said contacts; a member supporting said second contact; means operated by vacuum or the intake manifold of said motor to move said member so as to carry said second co tact away from said first contact; and means c r oeaeoo yieldably moving said contacts into engagement.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 in which said member supporting said second contact has a detent means for initially restraining movement of said second contact and abruptly releasing so as to cause a rapid movement of. said second contact away from said first contact.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 in which. said member supporting said second contact has a tie pression therein, and in which said vacuum operated means comprises a diaphragm, means form ing a vacuum chamber adjacent one side of said diaphragm, said diaphragm being connected to said member supporting said second contact, a body engaging said depression in said inemher and a spring for forcing said body into said depressioni 

